In a conventional tire for typical use as on a passenger car or light truck, the tire tread is provided with a series of grooves, either circumferentially or laterally extending, or a combination of both, to form a plurality of blocks. Alternatively, the tread may be provided with at least one continuous rib. For truck tires, an all rib tread may be desired to maintain greater road contact.
A rib in the tire tread provides high ground contact and tread stiffness, however, the traction may be reduced due to fewer edges to the continuous tread material. To enhance traction, it is not unknown to provide siping in the tread rib. However, as the siping is increased, the stiffness desired by the presence of the rib may be reduced as a tradeoff for enhanced traction.
The present invention is directed to a rib configured for enhanced traction, while maintaining a high rib stiffness.